


Steele a Point to Prove

by NorahBolt56



Category: Remington Steele (TV)
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-08-27
Updated: 2017-08-27
Packaged: 2018-12-20 12:24:46
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,786
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11920860
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/NorahBolt56/pseuds/NorahBolt56
Summary: This fanfic piece was written as part of a challenge to feature a recurring character. This one is set after 'Let's Steele a Plot', after Laura's crazy behaviour with Butch Beamis..





	1. Chapter 1

Remington Steele sat in his office later that week after they’d wrapped up the mystery writer’s guild case, still fuming over Laura’s behavior with that Neanderthal, Butch Beamis. He couldn’t believe that an otherwise intelligent, sophisticated woman such as Laura could have her head turned by such a crude, uncouth, misogynistic, poor excuse of a man as Beamis. He recalled with much chagrin how he had turned up at her loft to find Beamis there making himself at home, Laura clad only in her bathrobe. He’d fought to control his jealous reaction at the time – after all she had made it clear in Cannes that each other’s personal lives were now off-limits. He didn’t know what had gone on between them, and quite frankly he didn’t want to know. The thought of that creep with his hands on her when she’d held him off for three years drove him crazy. And then to add insult to injury she had rabbited on about him whilst they drove along in the Auburn - his hands had almost broken the steering wheel he’d been gripping it so hard trying to keep his anger in check.

So that’s the sort of man she wanted did she? A bad boy? Well if that’s what she wanted, that’s what he’d give her he decided as a lopsided grin crossed his face, a plan starting to formulate in his mind….

Laura was somewhat surprised when Mr Steele popped his head into her office later that afternoon. He’d been rather standoffish since the whole Butch Beamis fiasco during their latest case and part of her at least couldn’t blame him. She still didn’t know quite what had come over her. Butch was nothing like the men she was usually attracted to – he was nothing like.. _him_. And that was partly why, she realized, she had allowed her head to be turned by Butch Beamis, if only subconsciously. He was the exact opposite of Mr Steele and maybe she had thought by letting her head be turned by a man like that, she was trying to convince herself that there could be other men for her, that she didn’t need _him_. But she had realized that try as she might, she couldn’t deny her feelings for Mr Steele.

Ever since Cannes things had been somewhat strained between them and despite it being her idea for them to just have a professional relationship, she was finding it more and more difficult. She hadn’t expected to feel like this – yes she knew it would be hard, but when he respected her wishes and kept his distance it affected her more than she would like to admit. She missed him – missed his kisses, his touch, those nights in his apartment in front of the fire. They had gone from being almost lovers, she mused, thinking back to that fateful night in Cannes when she’d decided ‘tonight’s the night’, to merely co-workers and she was really struggling with it. In those rare moments since then, when he couldn’t help himself and he made some glib remark or a comment laced with innuendo, she had to fight back the smile that threatened to light up her face. Part of her longed to go back to that and hence the other reason she had behaved the way she did with Beamis – to make Mr Steele jealous. To stir him to action so to speak. Perhaps if he saw she could attract another man’s attention he would be forced to show her how he really felt, to tell her what she needed to hear, she had thought to herself.

“Yes Mr Steele?” she asked as she looked up from the paperwork on her desk that she was trying to get through, trying not to stare at him, looking so handsome as he did in his impeccable three piece suit, the blue shirt bringing out the blue in his eyes. “Just wondering if I could interest you in dinner and a movie Miss Holt?” he asked, his most charming smile crossing his face. “I know we agreed to not see each other outside the office but I figured there’s nothing wrong with two colleagues enjoying some down time together is there? Celebrating another case solved as it were?” he went on, the hopeful look on his face making him look so much like a little boy that Laura knew she couldn’t refuse him.

”No..nothing wrong with that at all,” she agreed, trying to sound nonchalant, although inside she was jumping for joy, wondering if her attempts to make him jealous had worked. “So I’ll pick you up around seven then?” Mr Steele asked as she nodded. ”Seven it is,” she replied, as she allowed a small smile to cross her face which was rewarded by that all too familiar lopsided grin from Mr Steele, which despite her best efforts to remain unaffected, always did something to her she couldn’t quite explain..


	2. Chapter 2

Laura finally decided on an outfit to wear after trying on several. She knew it was silly but she felt a bit nervous. They hadn’t spent time together after hours, just the two of them, for a few months now. The battle going on inside her wasn’t helping either. Her brain tried to convince her it was just dinner and a movie between two colleagues, nothing more – she would be cordial & enjoy his company, a nice meal, and a good movie, and that was it.

‘Who are you kidding Holt?’ she asked her reflection in the mirror as she did her makeup. She knew that if he kissed her or caressed her, her body would betray her and her already crumbling defences would likely melt away. She knew it was her own fault, but since their Cannes agreement she’d missed feeling.. desired. Something he had always made her feel from the first moment they had laid eyes on each other. She suspected that’s why she had allowed Butch to kiss her & why she had kissed him – his very crudely obvious desire for her, had against her better judgment, got to her. And if she was being brutally honest, going on three months without so much as a kiss from Mr Steele while working in such close proximity with him had left her…itchy.

But that kiss Butch had given her had been nothing compared to the ones she had shared with Mr Steele – the heady mix of passion & tenderness that he managed to infuse his kisses with was intoxicating and never failed to take her breath away.

The buzzing of her doorbell interrupted her thoughts as she checked her reflection one last time. ‘Icy calm’, Laura told herself as she went to answer it. Her jaw almost dropped to the floor when she pulled the door open. She had expected Mr Steele but the man standing there was not dressed in Mr Steele’s usual sartorial elegance. Instead he was wearing tight blue jeans & boots, a black shirt with several of the buttons undone, with a gold chain around his neck, and a black leather jacket. His hair was slicked back and he wore a diamond earring in one ear and was chewing gum. Instead of Mr Steele the man standing at her door was…Johnny Todd.

She had first encountered this persona of his when she had had the dubious pleasure of meeting his former mentor Daniel Chalmers, and he and Daniel had masterminded a sting operation, involving her mother of all people, that had impressed even Laura with its ingenuity and sheer daring. And then again not so long ago when they had helped Rocky Sullivan out, Johnny Todd had made a reappearance. And here he was now, standing at her door with a cheeky, lopsided grin on his face.

“Evenin’ darlin’,” he greeted her in a Cockney accent as he winked at her and stepped inside.

“Mr Steele..what’s going on?” Laura asked with a surprised laugh.

“Sorry luv.. you must have me confused with someone else. The name’s Todd..Johnny Todd,” he replied as he wiggled his eyebrows at her.

“Okay..,” she said slowly, wondering what was going on.

“You’re gonna have to lose the skirt darlin’,” he said as he cast an appreciative eye over the skirt and top she had finally settled on and grinned devilishly at her.

“What??” she asked in shock, his statement having the intended effect, as he tried not to laugh.

“Well you can keep it on if you like but it might be a bit uncomfortable when you’re sitting on the back of a motorbike,” he replied as her eyes got even wider.

“A motorbike?” she repeated, dumbfounded, as he nodded.

“Yes a motorbike – so I suggest you go get changed luv. Unless you’d like some help that is?” he quipped with a mischievous chuckle.

Laura rolled her eyes at him. “No I’m quite capable of getting changed myself thank you,” she replied hurriedly, his ‘Johnny Todd’ persona both exciting her and throwing her off balance at the same time, which was exactly what he’d intended.

“Suit yourself – I’ll just take a load off while I wait,” he replied, completely in character, as he flopped down in an armchair and put his booted feet up on the coffee table, ignoring the annoyed look she shot him.

Laura pulled the curtain closed, glad for the, albeit rather flimsy, barrier between them. She had to admit she found Johnny Todd an intriguing and very attractive part of his persona. He embodied that ‘wild part’ of him that she had occasionally caught glimpses of. A little bit like the ’wild, crazy Laura’ part of herself she kept so carefully hidden away, she mused as she changed into jeans. She wondered what he had planned and what had brought this on – one thing she knew for sure, she was in for an interesting night..

“Better?” she asked him as she came back down from the landing where her bedroom was situated. The look he gave her as his eyes travelled over her denim clad lower half caused her to blush a little as she fought to hide her reaction. “Oh yeah darlin’,” he winked at her and as she picked up her purse and walked past him out the door he took the opportunity to slap her on the behind with a chuckle as she turned around to look at him in shock, not knowing whether to be angry or flattered. He just chewed on his gum and cocked an eyebrow at her as he followed her out the door..

He had managed to borrow Rocky Sullivan’s ‘hog’ at short notice. “Planning on taking Miss Holt for a ride hey?” she asked with a cheeky wink when he went to pick up the bike. “Something like that Rocky,” he’d answered with a grin as he thanked her and drove off.

He handed the spare helmet to Laura as he pulled on one himself and straddled the bike. Laura hesitated for a moment as he looked at her. “What’s the matter darlin’? Don’t you want something hot and throbbin’ between your legs?” he quipped as he grinned at her.

“Excuse me?” Laura said, her eyes going wide with shock, thinking to herself that she couldn’t imagine Mr Steele ever saying something like that. But this wasn’t Mr Steele – this was Johnny Todd. Steele she was pretty sure she could handle – but Johnny Todd? Now that was a different story…

“You’re excused,” he retorted cheekily as she rolled her eyes at him. “Now get on or we’re going to be late.”

“Where are we going anyway?” Laura asked as she did as he said, pulling the helmet on and climbing onto the bike behind him. There was nowhere for her arms to go but around his waist, and he couldn’t help but smile as he felt her arms around him. It had been far too long since he’d felt her arms around him, her body pressed against his as it was now. Easy sport, he thought to himself, as he felt his body starting to react to having her in such close proximity to him again.

“You’ll find out soon enough luv. Now hold on – the tighter the better. You’re in for the ride of your life sweetheart,” he replied with a laugh as he revved the engine and took off into the night. “Promises, promises,” Laura thought a little cheekily to herself as she couldn’t help the grin that crossed her face. She had to admit it did feel nice to have her arms wrapped around his leather clad upper half, hanging on for dear life as he expertly manouevred the bike at a speed that was both exhilarating and a little frightening. She’d give him one thing she thought as they rode along, he certainly was full of surprises..


	3. Chapter 3

“A burger joint?” Laura said incredulously as Mr Steele or should she say, Johnny, finally pulled the bike over. “Best one in LA,” he answered matter-of-factly as Laura shook her head a little in amused surprise. When he’d invited her out earlier that day for “dinner and a movie” she’d expected they’d go to some elegant, up-market restaurant which was usually the case – but she was quickly discovering that there was nothing usual about this night.

He helped Laura off the bike then they walked inside the burger joint, finding a booth up the back as she tried not to laugh - she could never have imagined sitting in an establishment such as this with Mr Steele. But the man sitting opposite her was about as far removed from her ‘Mr Steele’ as she could imagine. She was amazed at how he could so easily slip into a completely different character, another intriguing aspect of him that certainly added to his air of mystery – different accent, different mannerisms and certainly a different approach to what she was used to.

So she made up her mind to have a bit of fun and enjoy whatever he had planned for the night. What the hell? she thought to herself, deciding that for tonight anyway she wasn’t going to over think things but instead, ‘go with the flow’. She was smart enough to figure out that he was trying to put her off balance, in response to her dalliance with Butch Beamis she assumed, so she decided she may as well enjoy it.

The waitress came over to take their order. “Evening luv,” ‘Johnny’ greeted her with a twinkle in his blue eyes that made the waitress blush a little as she took in the sight of this gorgeous man, thinking to herself how lucky the woman sitting opposite him was. “I’ll have a cheese burger with the lot and a beer if you’ve got one,” he ordered as Laura looked at him in surprise – in all the time she had known him she had never seen Mr Steele drink a beer. Wine or spirits yes – but a beer? Laura ordered as well then the waitress left them to it.

“So Mr..,” She began but then corrected herself, ”Johnny – what have you got planned for the rest of the night?”

He grinned at her, a mischievous gleam in his eyes, as he replied, “Oh a bit of this, a bit of that.”

Laura smiled, thinking to herself, two can play this game. “And what do you mean exactly..Johnny, by ‘this’ and ‘that’?” she asked as she looked at him intently which had the intended effect. He quickly tried to hide his reaction as a muscle worked in his jaw, but ever the detective and knowing him as she did, Laura noticed it with more than a degree of satisfaction.

A slow, sexy smile crossed his face, determined as he was to get the upper hand again, enjoying this battle of wills. “Whatever you want it to mean darlin’,” he replied. This time it was Laura who had to try and hide her reaction as she could feel a heated flush creeping up her neck to her face.

Their innuendo laden conversation was interrupted however by the waitress returning with their burgers. As both of them were rather hungry after their long day a work they hoed into them, deferring their conversation for the time being at least.

When they’d finished, they paid the bill then went back outside to the bike, Laura wondering as she climbed back on behind him, where they were headed now. Her question was answered when he pulled up a few blocks away outside a movie theater. Laura smiled a little ruefully as she followed him to the ticket booth and heard him order two tickets to see _Body Heat_ (William Hurt, Kathleen Turner, Warner Bros, 1981) which was being shown as part of an early 80’s revival at the theatre. He held up the tickets with a grin as she shook her head at him and couldn’t help but laugh. “Body Heat? Are you trying to tell me something?’” she asked as he wiggled his eyebrows at her. “Yes..,” he replied, his blue eyed gaze intense, and just when he thought by the expression on her face that he was starting to get to her, he quipped cheekily, “that I’m a movie fan.” She rolled her eyes at him a bit but couldn’t help smiling, enjoying the game they were playing.

Laura remembered seeing the movie when it had first come out with a couple of friends. That had been the year before _he_ had come into her life if she remembered correctly. So she knew it was a pretty risqué movie but she was unprepared by how discomfiting it felt watching it with him sitting right next to her. It reminded her a bit of how she had felt when they had been listening to the tapes they had found hidden in the coils of the Auburn that time. She’d tried to remain ‘icy calm, but the way he had looked at her while they listened to a couple in the throes of ecstasy, had sent a white hot flame of desire coursing through her and his look told her he felt the same. The same look he was giving her now as they sat in the darkened cinema together watching the couple making love on the big screen in front of them. Laura tried to look anywhere but at him, wondering to herself if he was thinking the same thing she was, imagining the two of them doing exactly what they were doing on screen. As he shifted a little uncomfortably in his seat she smiled a little to herself as she gathered he was…

Somehow they made it through the movie, Laura wondering if it was ever going to end as she tried to think of anything else but the man sitting next to her. When it finally ended and the lights came back on she inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. “Well that was..interesting,” she remarked, trying to keep her expression neutral as ‘Johnny’ coughed slightly, his cool façade dropping momentarily before he regained it and nodded with a grin, “Food for thought eh?”

Laura didn’t know how to answer that so she chose to ignore it – he was heading into dangerous territory that part of her at least was reluctant to follow him into, no matter how tempted she might be. But the other part of her, the part of her that threw caution to the wind and acted rather than thought, was ready to follow him hook, line & sinker into those dangerous, uncharted waters. And so the battle raged on inside her...

“So.. the night is still young - any ideas what we can do?’ he interrupted her thoughts as he gave her a meaningful look, wondering to himself how far he could push it. Laura hesitated for a moment – she knew he had to take her home at some stage but she was afraid of what might happen when they got there. Afraid that ‘wild, crazy’ Laura might get her into trouble again. So she put off the inevitable, suggesting they go somewhere for a drink instead.

“Never let it be said Johnny Todd didn’t give a lady what she wanted,” he said suggestively as he took her hand and helped her onto the bike, both of them feeling the heat flaring between them..


	4. Chapter 4

He took her to a bar on the seedier side of town and as the doorman greeted him as Johnny she wondered if he sometimes frequented places like this, donning a different identity for the night. She also wondered if the doorman and the bartender who also greeted him later by name, ever recognized his resemblance to Remington Steele, the famous detective, his real identity, or if they did, perhaps they didn’t care. She then realized the irony of that thought – she didn’t even know what his real identity was. Did he sometimes feel the need to slip back into a persona from his past to let off steam or whatever? she mused.

A rueful smile crossed her face as she recalled referring to him as ‘Captain Chameleon’ once – that description was certainly accurate if tonight was anything to go by. He’d stayed in character all night so far and she wondered how long he could keep it up for. Her smile got a bit wider as she imagined the cheeky response she’d get if she voiced that thought to him. “Johnny” she realized was a cheekier, no holds barred, rough around the edges, version of Mr Steele.

“Why the smile darlin’?” he asked as he cracked his gum and put a hand on the small of her back to guide her through the crowd inside the bar. And that gesture revealed to her that even though she was out with ‘Johnny’, Mr Steele was still there as well – he couldn’t completely hide his gentlemanly, protective side. It was as much a part of him as ‘bad boy’ Johnny was.

Laura looked at him and replied with a question of her own, “Oh just wondering if you come here often?”

“You wouldn’t be trying to pick me up with a line like that now would you?” he quipped as he cocked an eyebrow at her, avoiding answering the question.

“You never know your luck in the big city,” Laura replied with a dimpled smile and a flirtatious look, enjoying turning the tables on him somewhat as he looked at her with a mixture of surprise and amusement, before that sexy grin of his, that just about reduced her to jelly everytime she saw it, crossed his face.

“Oh I’m counting on luck being a lady tonight sweetheart,” he whispered in her ear, an arm snaking around her waist as he gave her a promising look and Laura gulped a little. She was playing with fire and she knew it – she just hoped she didn’t get burnt.

When they finally reached the bar Johnny ordered a beer for himself then said to the bartender, “And the lady will have a white wine thanks,” knowing that was usually Laura’s drink of choice. “Actually the lady will have a scotch – straight up,” Laura put in as he shot her a questioning glance. “You’re not the only one with a few surprises up their sleeve,” she retorted as he laughed and said “Touche’.” She’d also ordered the Scotch for another reason – she figured she needed a bit of ‘Dutch courage’.

Once they’d got their drinks he grabbed her by the hand and led her over to the pool table. “You ever played nine ball luv?” he asked her as he chalked up a cue. “Maybe once or twice but I don’t profess to be an expert. Why don’t you show me how it’s done?” Laura replied with a twinkle in her brown eyes as Johnny said with a mischievous grin, “Oh I can do that sweetheart ..and show you how to play pool too if you like.”

Laura rolled her eyes at his comment as he racked up the balls and sunk three off the break and then another. He narrowly missed his next shot so Laura lined up to take her shot. “Hang on a minute luv – you haven’t got the right grip,” ‘Johnny’ interrupted her with a grin as he came up behind her and placed a hand over hers as he leant against her and Laura fought to control her reaction to having him in such close proximity to her. He was so close to her she could even smell the cologne he was wearing and noticed with some surprise that it was different to what Mr Steele usually wore. Mr Steele usually preferred one with a crisp aroma of sandalwood, whereas what he was wearing now was a muskier, earthy scent that she subconsciously wanted to smell more of as she moved her face closer to his neck, almost like a reflex action.

He couldn’t help the smile that crossed his face as he mirrored her actions and more than a little suggestively moved her hand under his up the length of the cue stick. “See the thing is with this game is that you need to have a firm grip and know what you’re aiming for,” he breathed in her ear as Laura gulped a little, but then regaining some control of her senses she retorted, her voice low and husky, “And what game is that?”

At that he pressed his body against hers a little more firmly and Laura felt the unmistakable evidence that the effect he was having on her was the same as she was having on him. Oh my, she thought to herself, what are you going to do now Laura? Although she’d suspected on occasion that she’d aroused Mr Steele’s ‘curiosity’ as it were, he had been too much of a gentleman to make it too obvious, lest he scare her off she thought a little ruefully to herself. But Johnny Todd didn’t appear to have any such reservations she realised, with a mixture of both excitement and trepidation.

“Oh I think we both know the answer to that darlin’,” he murmured, his voice smooth and sexy and his accent doing something to her she couldn’t quite explain. Laura closed her eyes for a moment – oh she definitely knew the answer to that she thought, and while her body was screaming at her to go for it there was a tiny part of her brain, and if she was being honest, her heart, that made her hesitate.

He sensed her hesitation, her indecision, but he wasn’t about to let her get away that easily – he wanted her to admit she wanted him and only him, and acknowledge that what they had was good and real and that they never should have made that stupid agreement in Cannes.

“You wanted a bad boy didn’t you? Well here he is,” he stated determinedly as he turned her around to face him then captured her lips with his before she had a chance to protest. There was nothing tender about the kiss – it was fierce and passionate and demanding, and it took Laura’s breath away. The closest they had come to kissing like this had been in a monastery wine cellar of all places, when Laura had decided for the first time with him to allow ‘wild, crazy Laura’ out and live dangerously. He had been pleasantly surprised when she’s kissed him then, responding to her in kind, just as she found herself responding to him now. It was instinctive and try as she might she couldn’t resist him. She pressed herself against him, needing more of him as he pulled her against him, more forcefully than he’d ever done as ‘Mr Steele’.

His tongue tangled with hers, white heat coursing through both of them as they became lost in the moment and each other. As Laura’s hand dropped to lay against his chest a shudder went through him as he fought to keep himself under control. As he ran his hands through her hair, a thought suddenly came unbidden into his head – Laura had never been as bold, as uninhibited as this with him before, and he wondered if she was responding to him or to ‘Johnny’.

With that thought in mind, he gathered every ounce of self-control that he had and ignoring every fiber in his body that screamed at him to continue, he pulled his mouth away from hers. Laura looked at him in surprise, her expression one of dazed confusion.  “What’s wrong?’ she asked.

He fought to get his breathing under control then asked,”What do you want Laura?,” Johnny’s cockney accent gone, replaced by his own, as his blue eyes stared intently at her.

“You,” Laura replied, somewhat puzzled by the question as she thought she had made it pretty damn obvious, as she also struggled to get her breathing back to normal.

“Say my name then,” he stated, “And I don’t mean Mr Steele.”

Laura hesitated for a moment – she knew what he meant. She had never called him Remington – it just seemed too..intimate. But as she looked at him she realized that he needed to hear her say it as much as she needed to hear him say those three little words.

He looked at her as she hesitated, his heart falling into his stomach a little.  He shook his head slightly, trying to hide his hurt. “What’s wrong? You can’t say it can you?” he demanded as Laura looked at him, not quite knowing what to say. She wanted to say it, she wanted to fling herself back into his arms and kiss him and not let go. She wanted him to take her back to her loft and make love to her. But then her brain took over. “And then what?” she thought to herself. Once he gets what he wants, he’ll be gone. And then you’ll be where Laura? Left alone again, trying to pick up the pieces of your life.

Remington sighed as he ran a hand through his hair. “Come on let’s get out of here – this was obviously a mistake,” he stated brusquely, his tone clipped, as he slipped back into another persona. Laura wondered who this one was. She’d seen this one a few times before as well -the cool, aloof, unreadable side of him. About as far removed from cheeky, passionate, ‘bad boy’ Johnny Todd as you could get. And when she thought about it she realized she had always seen this side of him when she had hurt him.

She remembered for example, seeing the same look on his face when she had dismissed his theories on the Malcolm Marcall case, saying to him, “Go back to the bit where you said you’re not a detective”. She’d been pretty hard on him then she recalled as she realized she’d just done the same thing – but this was different, it was somehow worse. This wasn’t just about his attempts to be a detective, this went to the heart of their relationship. Where they always seemed to take one step forward and two steps back.

With that he turned on his heel and headed towards the door, leaving Laura to follow in his wake as she mentally cursed herself. “Leaving so soon Johnny?” the doorman asked him with a grin. As she came up behind him Laura watched him consciously change his expression from whatever persona he had just adopted to back, albeit briefly, to Johnny. “Yeah mate – I think I need to cool off,” he replied as he cast a look at Laura then walked out to the bike. She followed him silently, not really knowing what to say as he jumped on the bike and handed her the spare helmet. “Look can we talk..” she went to say but he revved the engine and retorted ,”Sorry can’t hear you Laura,” as he gunned the engine and took off. ”Fine,” she muttered a little angrily under her breath, his reluctance to talk about his feelings once again annoying the hell out of her.

 As she clung to him Laura could feel the difference in his body language - instead of the relaxed feel he’d had on the bike before, he now felt stiff and unyielding. Much to her annoyance Laura felt a frustrated tear or two come to her eyes as they rode along – frustrated with him and with herself.

He finally pulled up outside her building. They walked up to the loft in silence, both fuming a little and niether of them wanting to be the first to give in. Laura unlocked her door and pulled it open then turned to look at him as he leant against the door jamb and despite her anger she couldn’t help but notice how sexy he looked. Stop it Laura!  That’s what got you into this mess in the first place, she reprimanded herself.  

She looked down to the ground for a moment, trying to compose herself. “So..” she said when she finally looked up at him. “So..” he echoed, his eyes finding hers. “I..ah.. guess this makes our agreement a bit redundant,” she admitted as he nodded.

“Guess so,” he agreed. “Look Laura I know we have a bit to sort out but does it have to be tonight?” he sighed and then added, “after all, I’m not going anywhere.”

At that Laura looked at him, wondering if she could dare to believe him. But the look in his eyes told her more than words ever could, the passion that had flared between them that night was there, but there was something else as well – something which both warmed her heart but also scared the hell out of her. And she also felt a bit guilty that she hadn’t been able to bring herself to call him by his name, the name she had given him. She knew that had hurt him and yet here he was despite that, still telling her he wasn’t going anywhere. Why was she so afraid to believe that? she asked herself, not for the first time.

“No, I guess it doesn’t have to be tonight,” she conceded, part of her reluctant to get into it with him just yet as well.

“So.. am I likely to see ‘Johnny’ again?” she asked, a hopeful smile crossing her face. Echoing the words she had used earlier that night he replied with a lopsided grin, “You never know your luck in the big city,” and then he added with a wink, momentarily reverting back to Johnny, “darlin’.” He stole a quick kiss then bid her farewell and left her smiling at the possibilities..


End file.
